If the corn maze will honestly be in a cornfield, then why not stick with a fear on the farm type of theme? I always pick my theme, then list characters, then list sets. Then I have to pick the best, or the easiest/cheapest to do. For a fear on the farm theme I would.....
CHARACTER LIST
scarecrows
jeepers creepers
moonshine making mutants
inbred hillbillies (think last house on left)
children of the corn
jack o lantern headed scarecrows
Pumpkinhead (movie had a very rural setting)
old swamp witch
cannibal family (resorted to it after years of drought)
Minotaur (half man half bull)
zombies (they fit in almost anywhere)
werewolves
chainsaw maniacs (fits in with in-breds and cannibals)

these kinds of excrcises (listing of sets and characters) allow me to focus my vision on exactly what I want to accomplish and see, I would see what characters work together and then what scenes would work and flow best from one to the other. Using your space with as little alteration as possible will help your budget. A clown theme will have to work twice as hard and be twice as detailed to be believable in a cornfield setting, the same with an asylum theme. first year use what you have and give a quality show, then you can add a nearby asylum or circus into your theme and add a few of those elements into your attraction and back story.
Regardless of which way you go I see alot of shredded flannel shirts in your future.
good luck,
Allen H

Allen,
You are dead on!!!! Great thing about going with those scenes are that they are cheap. It is a bunch of scrap and a good imagination. Watch a couple of videos. Wrong turn......look at there shack that they live in. Texas Chainsaw massacre.....look at the outside area of the house. Watching for stuff like that will get your brain a pumping. I think having the crazed hillbillies, mutant freaks and ofcourse scare crows would be awesome. Only if corn grew great down here in Texas!!!!

thanks for all the great ideas. Just got to figure out how to put it all together. Do you think masks or makeup are better? Do you have any info on how to do the anke ticklers? I'm thinking that would be a good thing also.

I am now advertising for actors. Hope to find someone who wants to work a bit now and help us get all this together. Any other suggestions we are open to.

each character gets a different call, scarecrows, werewolves and the like, I would do as masks, any speaking roles I would do as makeup.
The ankle tickler plans can be found online if you look. although they are not that expensive to buy.
Allen H